CVE-2008-4582 in SeaMonkey
Summary
by MITRE
Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1 through 3.0.3, Firefox 2.x before 2.0.0.18, and SeaMonkey 1.x before 1.1.13, when running on Windows, do not properly identify the context of Windows .url shortcut files, which allows user-assisted remote attackers to bypass the Same Origin Policy and obtain sensitive information via an HTML document that is directly accessible through a filesystem, as demonstrated by documents in (1) local folders, (2) Windows share folders, and (3) RAR archives, and as demonstrated by IFRAMEs referencing shortcuts that point to (a) about:cache?device=memory and (b) about:cache?device=disk, a variant of CVE-2008-2810.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/01/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Mozilla Firefox and SeaMonkey browsers that specifically affects Windows operating systems. The issue stems from improper handling of Windows .url shortcut files, which are used to store web page shortcuts with metadata including the target URL and other properties. When these browsers encounter such files, they fail to properly validate the context in which the shortcut originates, creating a pathway for attackers to exploit the Same Origin Policy mechanism that normally protects web applications from cross-site scripting attacks.
The technical exploitation occurs through a sophisticated user-assisted attack vector where malicious actors craft HTML documents containing IFRAME elements that reference Windows .url shortcut files. These shortcuts can point to internal browser resources such as about:cache?device=memory and about:cache?device=disk, which contain sensitive information about the browser's internal state and cached data. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages the trust relationship between the browser and local file systems, allowing attackers to bypass normal security boundaries that should prevent access to internal browser resources from external web content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it demonstrates a fundamental flaw in how browsers handle local file system integration on Windows platforms. Attackers can exploit this weakness to access cached browser data, potentially including session cookies, passwords, or other sensitive information stored in memory or disk caches. This represents a significant elevation of privilege attack that can be executed through seemingly benign web content, making it particularly dangerous for users who browse untrusted websites or open documents from unknown sources.
The vulnerability affects specific versions of Firefox and SeaMonkey, with the most impacted ranges being Firefox 3.0.1 through 3.0.3, Firefox 2.x before 2.0.0.18, and SeaMonkey 1.x before 1.1.13 on Windows systems. This pattern of exploitation aligns with common attack techniques documented in the attack mitigation framework, particularly those involving local file system manipulation and browser sandbox bypasses. The issue is classified under CWE-200, which deals with information exposure, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059 for command and scripting interpreter and T1071 for application layer protocol, as it involves manipulating browser application behavior through crafted web content.
Organizations and users should immediately update to patched versions of affected browsers, as the vulnerability specifically targets older versions that are no longer supported with security updates. System administrators should implement strict policies around file execution from untrusted sources and consider network-level controls to prevent access to potentially malicious shortcut files. The fix typically involves implementing proper context validation for .url files and ensuring that internal browser resources remain protected from external access attempts, which represents a fundamental security principle of least privilege and proper access control enforcement.